Dancing toy figure



Apr. 17, 1923.

. w. H. BALCKE DANCING TOY FIGURE Filed Feb. 14 1921 Patented Apr, 17,1923.

warren 1. W i l l t in M QB.

COMPANY, OF CAMBRIDGE, MASSAGE USE'ITS, A CORPORATION OF MASSACHU-IJANCING TOY FIGURE.

Application filed February 14, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, WVALrER H. BALOKE, a citizen of the United States,residing at Winchester, in the county of Middlesex and State ofMassachusetts, have invented new and useful Improvements in Dancing ToyFigures, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an amusement apparatus of that class whichcomprises a phonograph and one or more dancing toy figures.

The object of the invention is to provide a simple device which may beattached to 1 any phonograph and driven thereby to 1mpart to one or morefigures a dancing or galloping motion obtained by a combmed verticalmovement of the figures and a lateral movement. In some makes ofphonographs the record centering pin projects above the record to asufficient extent so that a driving member may be attached thereto. Inother makes of phonographs the centering pin for the record disc doesnot project above the disc to any appreciable extent so that a drivingmember for the dancing toy figure could not be attached thereto and itis the object of this invention to provide a device which can be driveneither by a memher fast to the record centering pin or by a member whichrests upon the upper surface of the record carrying disc, or of therecord which rests upon said disc and which engages the support for thedancing figures or a cam fast thereto in such a manner as to move thesupport up and down so that the dancing figures alternately contact withthe record or the disc and are moved away therefrom so as to impart acombined vertical and lateral movement to the figures, whereby they arecaused to take dancing steps, or in the case of figures mounted uponanimals, the animals appear to be chasing each other.

To these ends the invention consists in the combination and arrangementof parts set forth in the following specification and particularlypointed out in the claims thereof.

Referring to the drawings:

Figure 1 is a front elevation of a phonograph with my improved dancingtoy figure attachment shown in connection therewith.

Fig. 2 is a sectional elevation enlarged Serial in. 444,637.

taken on line 2-2, Fig. 1, and partly illustrating the cam and drivingmember.

Fig. 3 is an underneath plan of the driv-' ing member.

F 4 is an end elevation showing a pair of dancing figures.

Fig. 5 is a plan view of the the figures.

Fig. 6 is a form of driving member.

Like numerals refer to like parts throughout the several views of thedrawings.

In the drawings. 10 is the casing of a phonograph, 11 is the recordcarrying disc and 12 is a record mounted thereon. 13 and 14 are dancingfigures which have jointed limbs 15 and represent two men mounted onjackasses. These figures are mounted on the free end of a support 16which comprises a pair of wires 17 fastened to a base 18 which restsupon the top of the casing 10 and is free to rock thereon or to move butis not fastened thereto. The ends of the wires 17 which are removed fromthe base 18 are fastened to a hollow annular cam 19. A pair of wires 20preferably connected together are detachably fastened to the cam 19 by ascrew 31, thumb nut 32 and washer 33, so that by loosening the thumb nutthe 'figures and the wires 20 which support them can be detached forshipping purposes or for packing away when not in use and also thefigures can be swung around so that the wires will assume differentpositions radially with relation to the stud and with relation to thecam 19. Also, it will be observed by this construction it is possible toattach a plurality of dancing figures greater than support forperspective view of a modified two to the cam 19. It will be understoodthat the pair of wires 20 are fastened to the cam 19 and extendoutwardly therefrom away from the base 18 above the record 12 and havethe figures 13 and 14 fastened to their free ends. 21 is a drivingmember consisting of a disc 22 which has friction members 23 fastthereto and projecting downwardly therefrom into contact with the record12. A hub 24 projects upwardly from the disc 22 and has an arm 25projecting radially therefrom to engage the cam shaped lower edge 26 ofthe cam 19. v

The operation of the device hereinbefore specifically described is asfollows :-The record disc 11 and record 12 arerotatedby the mechanism ofthe phonograph in the usual well known manner. Assuming the parts to bein the position illustrated in Figure 1, it will be seen that the legsof the jackasses contact with the upper surface of the record. As thedriving member 21 rests upon the record and has .frictional contacttherewith in view of the three friction members 23, said driving memberwill be rotated and will carry the pin 25 around with it in contact withthe cam shaped edge 26 of the cam 19. The wires 20 are flexible springwires and the base 18 is rounded upon its under surface as shown inFigure 1 so that as the hub 24 rotates in the direction of the arrow a,the support will be raised and lowcred and the base 18 will rock uponthe casing, thus'raising and lowering the dancing figures out of andinto contact with the record 12, and as these figures intermittentlyengage the record, which at the same time is rotating in the directionof the arrow a, the jointed members of the figures will be movedlaterally while at the same time the fi ures will be moved up and downmaking a u a a combined vertical and lateral movement which gives veryamusing results in the movements of the figures.

It will be seen that the device hereinbefore described is very easilyattached to or detached from the phonograph. The driving member so faras the disc 22 and friction members 23 are concerned is substantiallythe same as that shown and claimed in an application filed by Walter H.Balcke and William A. Ready on May 1st, 1920, Serial No. 378,113.

In Figure 6 a modified form of drivina member is illustrated consistingof a clutcn 27, split at 28 and encircled by a spring ring 29 which isadapted to be forced down upon the record centering pin of thephonograph and to be rotated thereby. This clutch has a radial arm orpin 30 extending radially therefrom and adapted to engage the cam,shaped edge 26 of the support 16 and impart a vertical movement to saidsupport in the same manner as hereinbefore described in relation to theform of driving member shown in Figures 1, 2 and 3.

In the claims where the dancing toy figure is referred to as positionedabove and.

adapted to contact with said disc, referring to the record carryingdisc, it is evident that the word record might be substituted for discwithout departing from the combination of elements set forth in saidclaims.

I claim:

1. In combination, a phonograph embodying a casing, a dancing toyfigure, a support on which said figure is mounted, a base rest ing onsaid casing to which said support is attached and a rotary memberengaging said support intermediate the figure and base and adapted toimpart a vertical movement thereto, whereby a dancing motion may beimparted to said figure.

2. In combination, a phonograph embodying a casing, a record carryingdisc, a dancing toy figure positioned above and adapted to contact withsaid disc, a support on which said figure is mounted, a base resting onsaid casing to which said support is attached and a rotary memberengaging said support intermediate the figure and base and adapted toimpart a vertical movement thereto whereby a dancing motion may beimparted to said figure,

3. In combination, a phonograph embodying a casing, a record carryingdisc, a dancing toy figure positioned above and adapted to contact withsaid disc, a support on which said figure is mounted, a base resting onsaid casing to which said support is attached and a driving membermounted on said disc and engaging said support intermediate the figureand base and adapted to impart a vertical, vibratory movement theretowhereby a dancing motion may be imparted to said figure.

41. In combination, a phonograph embodying a casing, a record carryingdisc, a dancing toy figure positioned above and adapted to contact withsaid disc, a support on which said figure is mounted, a base resting onsaid casing to which said support is attached and a driving membermounted on said disc having frictional engagement therewith and beingstationary with relation thereto and engaging said support intermediatethe figure and base and adapted to impart a vertical movement theretowhereby a dancing motion may be imparted to said figure.

5. In combination, a phonograph embodying a casing, a record carryingdisc, a dancing toy figure positioned above and adapted to contact withsaid disc, a support on which said figure is mounted, a base resting onsaid casing to which said support is attached and a cam fast to saidsupport and projecting downwardly therefrom, a rotary member engagingsaid cam intern'iediate the figure and base and adapted to impart avertical movement thereto whereby a: dancing motion may be imparted tosaid figure.

6. In combination, a phonograph embodying a casing, a record carryingdisc, a dancing toy figure positioned above and adapted to contact withsaid disc, a resilient support on which said figure is mounted, a baseresting on said casing to which one end of said support is attached anda rotary member engaging said support intermediate the figure and baseand'adapted to impart a vertical, vibratory movement thereto whereby adancing motion may be imparted to said figure.

7. In combination, a phonograph embodying a casing, a re rd car ying disa dame said support intermediate ing toy figure positioned above andadapted to contact with said disc, a support on which said figure ismounted, a base resting on said casing, to which base said support isattached, and a rotary member engaging the figure and base and adaptedto impart a vertical movement thereto whereby a dancing motion may beimparted to said figure.

8. In combination, a phonograph embodying a casing, a record carryingdisc, a dancing toy figure positioned above and adapted to contact withsaid disc, a support on which said figure is mounted, a base resting onsaid casing, to which base said support is attached, a hollow annularcam fast to the under side of said support and projecting downwardlytherefrom, a rotary member projecting upwardly from said disc into saidhollow annular cam and an arm on said rotary member adapted to engagesaid cam to impart a vertical movement thereto whereby a dancing motionmay be imparted to said figure.

9. In combination, a phonograph embodying a casing, a record carryingdisc, a dancing toy figure positioned above and adapted to contact withsaid disc, a base resting on said casing, a support consisting of twowires attached to said base and extending therefrom over said disc, acam fast to the ends of said wires removed from said base, a pair ofwires fast to said cam and extending away from said base and over saiddisc, a pair of dancing toy figures mounted thereon and a rotary memberengaging said cam intermediate said figures and base and adapted toimpart a vertical, vibratory movement thereto whereby a dancing motionmay be imparted to said figure.

10. In combination, a phonograph embodying a casing, a record carryingdisc,

a dancing toy figure positioned above and adapted to contact with saiddisc, a base resting on sa1d casing, a support consisting of two wiresattached to said base and extending therefrom over said disc, a hollowannular cam fast to the ends of said wires removed from said base, apair of wires fast to said cam and extending over said disc away fromsaid base, a pair of dancing figures mounted upon the free ends of saidwires and a rotary member engaging said. cam and adapted to impart a vertical, vibratory movement to said support whereby a dancing motion maybe imparted to said figure.

11. In combination, a phonograph embodying a casing, a record carryingdisc, a dancing toy figure positioned above said disc, a support onwhich said figure is mounted, a base resting on said casing to whichsaid support is attached and a driving member mounted on said disc andengaging said supportand adapted to impart a vertical, vibratorymovement thereto whereby a dancing motion may be imparted to saidfigure.

12. In combination, a phonograph embodying a casing, a record carryingdisc, a dancing toy figure positioned above said disc, a support onwhich said figure is mounted, a base resting on said casing to whichbase said support is attached, a hollow annular cam fast to theunderside of said support and projecting downwardly therefrom, a rotarymember projecting upwardly from said disc into said hollow annular camand an arm on said rotary member adapted to engage said cam to impart avertical movement thereto whereby a dancing motion may be imparted tosaid figure.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of twosubscribing witnesses.

FRANKLIN E. Low, HAZEL F. LA MUDGE.

